Wednesday, 27 April 2011

Speaking from experience: The brief

Brief: Produce a graphic response that makes a statement, comment, observation or gives advice about your experience on your first year of this course. Choose any appropriate media or format and develop and identify whether the content will be entertaining, advisory or informative.

Ideas

For this brief I need to identify a problem I have faced and inform the first years about this. Need to consider whether I am trying to scare/humour/excite them etc. I have the opportunity to go back and revisit a technique/process that I wanted to use but didn't get to, instead of doing more of the same thing. Different ideas from over the year can be pulled together to create lots of work. Next year, there will be 46 students, who will all be different, and won't all have the same taste/style etc, this is something I need to consider. I need to think about who I was, what I knew, what I wish I had known before I came. Also, I can include relevant areas outside of the course, such as living alone for the first time. I need to consider what my design voice is, based on reflection of the year so far.

To start to find my voice as a designer, I decided to reflect back on the year I have had personally. I will later need to complete some primary research from asking the opinions of my classmates.

Things I like: Hand drawn and digital illustrations, screen printing, patterns, decorative type, type as image, photography, different stocks, work printed in the digital print room

Things I usually do: Hand drawn and digital illustrations, only tend to use photo shop, don't tend to include photography in my final pieces. I don't think I put everything I have learnt to good use and tend to follow a similar way of working with each brief - maybe now would be a good time to change this.

Things I'd like to revisit: Making my own typeface, screen printing, moving image, photography (with the specialist equipment), book binding (basically everything that I was introduced to in the workshops), paper folding

Things I want to do that I haven't covered yet: Printing on to other materials, animation, successfully making a brief 'live', printing many copies of final piece

Who I was at the beginning of the year (graphic design wise): At the beginning of the year I only really had experience with hand drawn and digital illustration so this was what I focused all my projects on initially, however, I was eager to learn about different areas within graphic design. I still use illustration quite a lot, as I enjoy it, but now know more about other aspects of graphic design. I think at the beginning of the year I managed my time quite well, and still think I do. A weakness at the beginning of the year was not being able to face criticism about my work, whereas now I know how helpful and useful constructive criticism is.

Who I was at the beginning of the year (outside of the course): Moving away from home to live in Leeds was the first time I had lived on my own so I was a mix of nervous and excited. My main worry was would I be able to cope with the course? I was worried I wasn't good enough to be on the course as I knew how good the course was and felt shocked I actually had a place. I was also worried about my flatmates having heard bad experiences from others about their time in halls. I am a clean and tidy person and already knew how to cook and take care of myself so this wasn't really a problem, however, in the first couple of weeks I did realise how things like not having a car, doing food shopping etc actually take up quite a lot of time.

What I knew about Graphic Design at the beginning of the year: At the beginning of the year I didn't know anything about colour theory, had never printed on to any other stock than standard white paper, didn't know anything about readability or legibility and didn't know anything about making my pieces work as a set. At the beginning of the year I was nervous as I didn't really know how to use the software such as Illustrator and Photo shop and was worried that every body else would be experts, but luckily there were inductions to help me out.

Five problems since I was offered a place: - I wish I'd known how to access information such as what will be created through these speaking from experience briefs. I would've like to see more examples of past students work, but didn't know where to find it before starting the course, so only saw the examples on the website/open day/year book. I think this would've helped for the summer task as I didn't really know what to expect when I came to college. - I worried quite a lot about not being good enough/ not knowing as much as others, so some more reassurance about inductions and workshops would have been useful to put my mind at ease - Before starting college I was unsure which equipment I would definitely need. I found that some of the items on the list we were sent through the post were given to us and some items I have not used yet, whereas there are pieces of equipment that I have later been recommended which were not on this list which have proved useful. - I didn't know what to expect about my accommodation and the area around it, and so was worried about it. It took a while to discover the quickest way to college, the best places to shop/eat and other things like this, so it would've been useful if I'd have been able to hear from someone who have lived in the are the previous year. - Before starting the course I didn't have much knowledge of contemporary graphic design, only having been taught about the 'famous' graphic designers at college. I was a bit worried about which 'style' of graphic design I thought I should be interested in. A varied list recommending relevant, contemporary graphic designers including artists who have visited college would have been useful so I could have done more research and found more things to inspire me before starting the course, to prepare me for tasks such as 'what is graphic design?'.

Five things as a designer that I want to make: - I'd like to make a moving image, as I enjoyed the induction on this but didn't find an opportunity to use this new skill. I have enjoyed researching kinetic typography so would like to create a moving image containing this. - I'd like to make a series of screen prints containing different layers, and maybe frame these to add to the quality, as again, this was an induction that I really enjoyed and was fascinated by the results yet didn't find time to screen print again. - Instead of working in a group, I'd like to collaborate with another designer whose work I admire or maybe someone with different skills than to what I have to see what we could produce. - I'd like to make a book and bind and print it properly, taking lots of care with presentation and the quality. I know this would take a lot of time so I am unsure when I will be able to do this. - I would like to create designs for myself, such as to create my own personal identity for use on business cards/blog etc.

Five subjects that I'm interested in doing: - A website that can be accessed by people who have a place on the course showing them examples of previous work, giving them artist recommendations and basically giving them an insight in to what to expect so that they can be better prepared for the course. This website would be a bit like the VLE but better designed and easier to use. - A moving image which is humorous, exciting the new student about what is to come on the course, and reassuring them that they don't have to be the best now, as if they were, they wouldn't need to do the course, but also telling them that a lot of hard work is to come. - A book featuring website links and examples of work of graphic designers who have visited college as well as past students to inspire and excite the students, preparing them for tasks such as 'what is graphic design?' - A welcome pack containing different printed materials and a few useful items, just touching on the different problems stated above and telling the new student how to find out more. This idea would cover more areas with less detailed information than with answering one problem. - A screen print which has a quality to it which would make the new student want to keep it and stick it on their wall, rather than just discarding it with other posters they are given. This print would have to get straight to the point, but could contain information to reassure/excite/scare the new student.
All these points lead me to finding an answer to 'who am i now?' as a designer.

Problems


On Thursday's session we were allocated a partner with whom we discussed our problems and ideas with. I also thought about some broader problems that I faced other than the five above. These included:
not being motivated; being lazy; having to deal with scruffy housemates; not knowing the quickest way to college; not knowing where the shops are and organising my time.

My partner was Max and this is his feedback to my favourite idea for my problem, about creating a website so first years know what to expect from the course before starting. Here are points from our discussion:
- Like the website idea
- Look at LCA website/portal/VLE - see what is already available
- Could create something which is an add on to the website
- Website could just include first years work, a link would be sent out by a business card
- Could include a leaflet through the post with a showcase of first years work
- The leaflet and business cards could be screen printed for quality, to persuade people to look
- Could try to bring different ideas in to one thing to answer all problems
- For primary research ask students what they would've like to have known, and ask did they look at college websites beforehand? Find statistics from the survey.
- Focus on what to expect from your first year.

After discussing this we then took a step backwards to make sure we had considered many different ways to solve our problem. For each five problem, we created five answers, including what the method of delivery would be.

Not knowing what to expect from the course

1. A website with work of current first years and links to blogs that can be accessed by people who are offered a place
2. A screen printed hot dog fold book to be sent to people offered a place with a showcase of first years work
3. A binded book printed in digital print (with the same content)
4. A moving image with hints of what is to come
5. Postcards with others work on that you could use, with a link to their blog on the back

Worrying about not being good enough

1. A moving image using kinetic typography reassuring student in a humorous way
2. A screen print with a simple reassuring message
3. Stickers with reassuring/motivational messages
4. Useful items such as notebooks with these messages on
5. A humorous poem to be sent out including the message

Not knowing anything about accommodation and the area around this

1. A welcome pack with advice from students who lived in the area last year
2. A website/blog with information about the area
3. A mini magazine about the best places to shop/eat around the student accommodation
4. A map of routes to college/shops from different accommodations
5. A face book group which is interactive with recommendations

Not knowing what is the best equipment to have

1. An equipment list with reviews from students
2. A face book group where students can add recommendations and say which items not to choose
3. A wish list for the students to fill in and leave for parents
4. Make your own pop-up Mac - a jokey kit so students without don't feel left out
5. A poster with items categorised into 'needed' 'wanted' 'extra' etc.

Not knowing enough about graphic design

1. A postcard with lists of artists to research
2. A moving image reassuring you that you will learn lots
3. A leaflet with samples of what you will learn in the inductions and workshops
4. A poster with tick lists and tasks of things that will help you
5. A mail shot with the same information

Final Problems

Not knowing what to expect from the course
Not knowing anything about accommodation and the area around this

Rationale

We then wrote our own rationales, which we then swapped with a different partner. Mine can be seen on my PPD blog.

Week One Direction Boards

These are the boards I created for my week one crit. The feedback I received can be seen on my PPD blog. 





Tuesday, 26 April 2011

End of Module Self Evaluation

1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
As this module has been going on throughout the year, I have learnt a lot which has all been valuable. We have covered a wide range of topics, such as things that may seem very simple, but are actually very important and often ignored, such as revisiting English language and covering verbs, nouns, adjectives etc - something that I haven't really had to consider in many years.


The things that stand out to me the most are what I have learnt about colour theory and also what I have learnt about grids. Before this course, I didn't know anything about either of these areas, so since developing these new skills, I have applied them to all of my Graphic Design in general, and therefore have noticed an improvement in my work as a whole, so I think I have applied these skills effectively. Learning about colour theory has made me think more about the choices behind using a colour, what this colour means, and how the use of it effects how the piece looks/is read. Learning about grids has ensured that my pieces have a visual consistency, making them neater and more professional.
2. What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

For this module I haven't researched as much as I have done for other modules, as most of the time has been spent on the visual language sessions. I have completed secondary research for the briefs set on photography, books for the book fair and the what is a line brief. I have used books and the Internet to find examples of inspiring artwork - this including graphic design, illustration, photography, and paper folding - as well as to find out more about the subjects I have chosen to create work for.


All my forms of primary research have been either photography or drawing for this module. I have done a lot more observational drawing as research than before, as usually I only use photography as a method of primary research, and then draw from these photographs, where with this module, especially with the 'What is a line?' brief, I have captured my researched through drawings.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
As the visual language sessions were only half day sessions, I worked quickly and wasn't too precious about the work I produced. This is actually a good thing, as this way of working allowed me to think of many different responses to a problem, and to be experimental with my work, trying things I wouldn't usually as I would be too scared that it would not work. By trying things outside my 'comfort zone' style of working, I feel I have benefited greatly, and hopefully will capitalise this strength by working this way in my next module. In previous modules, I haven't achieved what I had wanted to as I hadn't experimented much; I had just stuck to my initial ideas.


Relating to the 'being experimental' strength, this module has encouraged me to try new things. After being introduced to photography through the induction, and having an idea for how I could use photography in the 'What is a line?' brief, I bought a fish eye camera and enjoyed taking film photographs with a totally different type of camera to what I am used to. Although I didn't end up using the results for my 'What is a line?' brief, I took some photographs that I quite pleased with, and will be capitalising on this new skill by taking more photographs with this camera.

Another strength is that I think I am improving on aspects I have noted that I wanted to improve on in previous evaluations. For example, at the beginning of the year, I don't feel as if I put enough effort in to my presentation of work, and I didn't experiment much with stocks. In this module, I have taken better care with my presentation of the work I have produced for the brief, printing in digital print where possible. For the books I created for the book fair, I tried out many different stocks before deciding which one to use. I hadn't done this to this extent before, so I hadn't realised how useful this experimentation is, as the use of different stocks can completely effect a piece, from making it stand out more, to making the text easier to read and other aspects.



Overall, I have found this module enjoyable and hope my passion for this subject can be identified in the work I have produced.

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?

I think a weakness for the work I have produced for visual language is the lack of quantity of work, compared to the amount of work I have created for other modules. The only way to address this weakness more fully would be to spend more time creating work outside of the sessions.


I found it harder to manage my time for the briefs set for this module than with the other modules, as we only had one half day session a week. Therefore, for the rest of the week, my time was spent concentrating on the other work I had for my other modules. Also, knowing that the module hand in date was quite far away from things were initially being set, I didn't feel the same pressure which motivates me, that I felt for other modules. To address this more fully, I could set myself mini deadlines to ensure I am completing the work as I go, rather than rushing to complete it at the end.



Another weakness is not asking for help and feedback with my briefs for this module. Again, this relates to how the visual language sessions are different to the other modules, so with less time there have been less crits, and less time for detailed feedback on my work. I could address this problem by asking for feedback from other students or emailing tutors about my questions, instead of just waiting for the next week's visual language session for the advice I need.

5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
I haven't done much research for this module, so next time, I would like to research the topic we have covered after a session, to expand my knowledge and to find relevant images which could inspire future work. I did this for only a few topics, such as the paper folding session, and was really fascinated about what I found out, so next time feel it would be useful to research a topic without having to be told to do so.
Following on from the previous point, after researching relevant work for a topic, I would like to revisit what I have learnt in my own time, and spend a bit longer on the quality and presentation of my work. Everything I have learnt in this module I have enjoyed, and it has been a nice change from the other modules as it is so different, but I don't think I have fully capitalised on what I have learnt as I haven't managed to use the skills in other projects.

Next time, if I was set a brief where the majority of work was to be completed over a holiday away from college, I would be sure to plan ahead better. When I went home for Easter, I needed to work, which meant that I had a lot less time to concentrate on this brief, as well as facing difficulties due to not having very good equipment. At home there were many distractions so I found it quite hard to do any work. Next time, I would set aside some time to return to college during the break as it is a much better environment to work in, and at college I would have access to facilities such as the Mac suite and digital print.
I changed my idea for the book for the book fair over half way through the brief which left me with very little time to actually produce my book. While I am still pleased with the book I eventually produced for the fair, I think next time I could gain more time to spend improving the quality of my work by thinking through my idea more thoroughly before starting to design. I don't think I considered aspects such as the purpose of my book or my target audience until much later on, and when I did, thinking about these considerations made me change my idea.
As relating to the weakness I have stated in the question above, next time, when I feel I am at a dead end with my ideas and stuck what to do next, I will ask others for their advice. This will allow me to get on with my work, rather than waiting around or putting off this work. From doing this, the quality and quantity of my work should improve.




6. How would you grade yourself on the following areas
(5= excellent 4=very good 3=good 2=average 1=poor)
Attendance = 5
Punctuality = 4
Motivation = 3
Commitment = 3
Quantity of work produced = 3
Quality of work produced = 3
Contribution to the group = 4

Monday, 25 April 2011

Fisheye Photography

I recently bought a fisheye photography which I was going to use for my 'what is a line?' visual language brief. However, the photographs of hands that I took for this brief did not turn out how I wanted them to. This was my first film with the fisheye camera, so I have experimented with all the different settings, meaning that some images haven't worked too well. It was a lot of fun to use and very exciting to collect the prints and see how things had turned out. Here are a few examples of my photographs:









Monday, 18 April 2011

Visual Language: What is a line? (More Drawing)

Previous blog posts for 'What is a line?':

These are a collection of experimental drawings inspired by my artist research as well as being based on the photographs I took. I found these drawings really fun as I did so many of them, I didn't feel precious about any of them so allowed myself to be free. Materials I have used include: pencils, biro, fine writer, marker pen, watercolours, paints and coloured pencils. This is the first time all year I have drawn with such a mix of materials which has been a good change.





 

Final Piece

Now I have completed lots of experimentation with photography and drawing, it is time for me to think about the final piece. My initial idea was a poster or a book relating to what the lines on the hand mean, and I think I will continue with this idea. The style of drawing I liked the best was the accurate fine writer drawing which I then coloured with watercolour paint. I liked the smaller hands rather than the actual size hand drawings. I aim to draw every single hand I have photographed, and then include some sort of explanation to what the lines on the hand mean. I am using the photographs taken with my digital camera instead of the fish eye photographs, as I got far more of these photos and this camera allowed for a quicker turnaround with results rather than waiting for film to develop. I think creating a book would be quite difficult, as I have to consider that with it being the Easter holidays, I am unable to use all of the college facilities I normally could as I am at home.







Poster Mock-ups

These are some mock-ups of my final poster, which advertises the booklet I will make to go with the poster. However, as this is a drawing brief, the image aspect of this poster is more important than other aspects, so I have kept everything else simple so the images stand out. I wanted everything to be neat and orderly which is why I have aligned the drawings into a square.


Final Poster

This is my final poster. I printed it in the digital print room on A2 Matt. I am really pleased with the quality of the print.

Book Mock-ups

These are quick mock-ups, where I have played around with different possible layouts for my short booklet. This process has also helped me to decide where to place the information I will include in the book.


Final Book

The booklet is just a brief booklet explaining palm reading. The information about palm reading that I have used in this booklet is from Dennis Farichild's Guide to Palm Reading. The design relates to the simple style of the poster, where the images are the most important thing. The fold of this booklet is similar to a hot dog fold book, with the same amount of pages and a poster inside, however, it opens up differently, meaning that there does not need to be a slit in the poster. When deciding on the folds of the book, I chose this fold as I hadn't used it before, and also because it was easy and didn't involve book binding. It is not meant to be a thick book, just a small accompaniment for with the poster.

Layout
Inside


Photographs of booklet


Tuesday, 12 April 2011

Visual Language: Palm Reading

Here is what I have learnt from Dennis Farichild's Guide to Palm Reading

The left hand reveals your personal, private side, where the right hand tells how you present yourself to the world. Modern palm reading isn't actually believed to predict the future. I decided to read my own palm, and have included drawings of my hands to illustrate what I mean. I was a bit sceptical about what I thought about palm reading before this book, but was surprised how many things are accurate about me. However, these could be quite general things that anyone could find true, like with horoscopes. At the side of each statement, I've put how much I believe each to be true, with A meaning not true at all, B meaning slightly true/some parts are true and C meaning very accurate.

My Hands
  • small hands think big - pursue each goal with reason and intellect rather than intuition (B)
  • easily flexible - do anything to avoid an argument (C)
  • short palm with short fingers - down-to-earth, logical soul, comfortable in the material world, prefer stable and predictable lifestyles, dislike change and are aggressive about getting what they need (C)
  • smooth fingers with unobtrusive knuckles - use intuition more than reason, play hunches rather than fret over status quo (A)
  • blunt, squarish fingers - gain emotional satisfaction from being careful, orderly, useful and productive. crave stability, viewing change as undesirable (C)
  • small and squarish nails - want to be recognized, can be extremely self-centred, hard to see another point of view because your opinion alone counts (B)
  • wide nails - make discriminating, practical choices, have difficulty seeing another's point of view, dislike criticism and prefer to do things your own way. routine and stability are very important. a lover of schedules, once you find the perfect job or partner you tend to stay (C)
  • arch fingerprint - efficient, hardworking, reliable. cautious and conservative in your ideas and opinions, you are a follower rather than a pioneer, comfortable with the tried-and-true (C)
  • three distinct rasclettes - great physical strength and endurance, money and possessions give you a sense of security and you enjoy great pleasure seeing a job well done. plan carefully and work hard (B)
  • long, straight middle finger - love for schedule, serious about your commitments, don't mind being alone, work is very important to you, happiest when situations are orderly and structured. you possess natural managerial abilities and are known for shrewdness, diligence and reliability. although ambitious, status and recognition is not as important to you as honor and personal happiness (C)
  • square tipped little finger - you speak and argue well, and state your case with exactness because you act from equality and fairness (A)
  • three or more Venus lines - have the rare ability to see both sides of a situation and have more than one career interest. always tactful and diplomatic, you're open for new avenues to prosper.you'll always have money when you need it, thanks to the goodwill of others (B)
  • thumb arches backwards - your heart rules your head and you may have trouble making rational decisions. very sentimental and a bit unrealistic (A)
  • angle of thumb naturally falls away from other fingers - generous, open-minded, willing to compromise and consider the options for all concerned. ideas and concepts are important to you. you respect intelligence and individuality but are more concerned with theory rather than application.difficult for you to finish anything on time or on budget. Your quick with and humour makes you lovable (B)
  • flat thumb area - you keep a distance from others. your mind is focused on on personal or internal issues rather than the outside world. no matter how good your ideas, you have difficulty explaining them in a logical or practical way. "old ways" make you feel good (B)
  • chained hand lines - weak willpower, sadness, paranoia, and a tendency to retreat from the physical world. you don't like being alone and are fragile in a china-doll kind of way (B)
  • a life line that begins high under the index finger - a need for acknowledgement, ultimate individualist, you can't bear to have someone tell you what to do or how to do it. you are energetic but may have trouble focusing your abundant energy. although you enjoy praise, its almost impossible for you to accept advice or acknowledge errors (B)
  • deeply etched head line - optimistic and idealistic, you always see the silver lining inside every cloud and believe things will turn out for the better (B)
  • sloping head line - sign of escapism, depression. sympathetic and trusting, you are very susceptible to hard-luck stories and easily fooled. overly idealistic, dealing with harsh realities is difficult for you. (A)
  • head and life lines joined near the thumb - cautious and focused. practical and predictable, your greatest gift is the stability you provide to others. (C)
  • forked head line - curious, inventive (B)
  • deeply etched heart line - peacemaker. you place great emphasis on home and family and your ties to them are strong (C)
  • chained heart line - fickle or inclined to change affections often. many of your relationships are punctuated with emotional upheavals or more like casual friendships rather than deep emotional unions (A)
  • broken fate line - dissatisfaction with status and a desire for more money and recognition. (B)
  • fate line starts within life line - your physical home spells security and stability to you. "old ways" make you feel secure (C)
  • downward sloping affection lines - there will be upset, dependency concerns or emotional difficulties with unions
  • affection lines close to the heart line - you will find emotional satisfaction when young



Reading others palms

Lee
Small hands, inflexible, long palm short fingers, large nails, vertical ridges, mix of fingerprints, 3 deep rascelletes, three or more venus lines, wide life line, life line starts high, chained head line, sloping head line, forked head line, short heart line, chained heart line, girdle of Venus, clear fate line, fat line stops at heart line, deeply etched venus line, broken mercury line

What this means
Small hands think big, difficult for you to give in and see other persons side of the story, argumentative and make up your mind before the facts are on the table, big thinkers, worrywart, need for love, dreamer, contradictory fingerprints, great physical strength and endurance, ability to see both sides of a situation and more than one career interest, sunny, generous and reliable, need for acknowledgement, can't bear to have someone tell you what to do or how to do it, energetic, difficulty concentrating, curious and inventive, passionate and playful, sensual yet sensible, fickle, keenly aware of what others think, sense of contentment with belongings, forewarning of business hassles, you have personal happiness

Jane
Easily flexible fingers, blunt squarish fingers, small squarish nails, square nails, loop fingerprint, 3 deep rascelletes, long straight middle finer, ring finger larger than index finger, flat thumb area, deep lines, wide life line, life line starts high, deep head line, head and life line join at the thumb, deep heart line, chained heart line, broken mercury line, affection line close to head line

What this means
Do anything to avoid an argument, you gain emotional satisfaction from being careful and orderly, crave stability, you want to be recognized and can be extremely self centred, hard to see anothers point of view, you like logic and schedules, love order and common sense, adaptable and agreeable, you don't like to rock the social boat, money and possessions give you a sense of security, enjoy seeing a job well done, love for schedule, serious about commitments, happiest when situations are orderly, enjoy the niceties money buys, keep a distance from others, you have specific likes and dislikes, sunny and reliable, need for acknowledgement, can't bear to have someone tell you what to do or how to do it, optimistic and idealistic, cautious and focused, peacemaker, great emphasis on family, fickle, impatient and have several things going on at one time, find love early in life

Mum
Small hands, inflexible, long palm short fingers, rounded fingerprints, wide nails, square nails, vertical ridges, arch fingerprint, rasclletes point upwards, long index finger, short thumb, arches backwards, inflexible thumb, thumb falls 45 degree away from hand, well etched lines, breaks in life line, short life line, long head line, deep head line, plummeting down head line, deep heart line, long heart line

What this means
Small hands think big, difficult for you to give in and see other persons side of the story, argumentative and make up your mind before the facts are on the table, do not like living alone, have difficulty seeing anothers point of view, dislike criticism and prefer to do things your way, you like logic and schedules, love order and common sense, worrywart, dreamer, efficient, hardworking and reliable, vanity and a need for approval, healthy ego, belief in yourself, short on willpower and patience, don't know when to draw the line, your heart rules your head, argumentative, few friendships but they last forever, generous and open minded, specific likes and dislikes, worrier who allows others to interfere, lacks physical energy, never tire of learning new things, optimistic and idealistic, dealing with harsh realities is difficult for you, peacemaker, romantic and protective


Dad
Prominent large knuckles, oval nails, long index finger, index and middle finger same length, bent/curved middle finger, middle finger with pronounced knuckles, square tipped little finger, thumb falls 45 degrees away from hand, thumb with waist, fine thin lines, life line hugs thumb, short head line, sloped head line, weak heart line, long heart line, double fate line, fate line ends at head line, well etched affection lines

What this means
Reasoning abilities, patience, rarely act in haste or anger, aware what other people think, healthy ego, belief in yourself, you enjoy being the boss and in charge, collector and one who hoards things, you have plenty of common sense about finances but trouble with mundane things like remembering where you left your keys, you act from equality and fairness, generous, open minded, respect intelligence, important desire to learn, mental and creative, bounce back easily from disappointments, not inclined to speak up, more mental than physical, very conservative, dealing with harsh realities is difficult for you, don't like being alone and function best in partnerships, romantic and protective, works best in partnerships, capable of strong, sincere relationships

Sophie
Small hands, short palm and short fingers, prominent knuckles, pointed fingers, small nails, oval nails, long straight middle finger, long straight ring finger, long little finger, pointy tipped little finger, thumb with waist, flabby mount of Apollo, wide sweeping life line, short head line, deeply etched head line, head line slopes down, deeply etched heart line, short heart line, faint fate line

What this means
Small hands think big, down-to-earth, doesn't mind the daily grind, problem solver, curiosity and good imagination, your mind is fast and have difficulty with sticking to anything for long, rarely act in haste or anger, aware what other people think, love for schedule, serious about commitments, you don't fear showing your feelings, you think big and talk well, your enthusiasm is contagious, open minded and overly accommodating, boundless curiosity and desire to learn, you find mundane day-to-day tasks unattractive, sunny and generous, one track mind and short sightedness, optimistic and idealistic, dealing with harsh realities is difficult for you, peacemaker, passionate and playful, desire for more money and recognition
Beth
Long palm and long fingers, smooth fingers, pointed fingers, rounded fingertips, small nails, oval nails, three clear rasclettes, long straight middle finger, pointy tipped little finger, thumb arches backwards, thumb area flat, many fine lines, chained lines, life line begins high, long head line, sloping head line, head and life line join at thumb, deeply etched heart line, wide space between heart and head line, chained heart line

What this means
Intuitive and sensitive, use intuition more than reason, curiosity and good imagination, don't like living alone, impulsive and curious, rarely act in haste or anger, great physical strength and endurance, love for schedule, serious about work commitments, warmth and charisma, your heart rules your head, keep a distance from others, nervousness and scattered energy, weak willpower, need for acknowledgement, can't bear to have someone tell you what to do or how to do it, you respect knowledge, dealing with harsh realities is difficult for you, cautious and focused, peacemaker, you do things your way, you approach life eagerly, fickle

What everyone thought
After I read everyones palm's, I asked people what they thought about what they had been told. Everyone's opinion was almost the same. While agreeing that palm reading is fun, and interesting to learn about what the lines in your palm supposedly reveal about yourself, it seems to be made up, as some traits were true, but others completely false. Also, many traits could be applied to anyone, especially positive traits, which you may believe you have. For example, when I was reading my own palm, some traits were scarily accurate, however others couldn't be more far off my personality!